Spark-plug



0. RICKMEYER.

SPARK PLUG.

APPucATmN man DE01. 1915:

1,195,089. Patented Aug. 15, mi

ano/ama;

WEB TATES OTTO RICKMEYEB, F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

SPARK-PLUG.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15,1916.

Application led December 1, 1 915. vSerial No. 64,511.

1 To ail whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Or'ro Bionamrnn, a subject of the Emperor of: Germany, residing at Milwaukee, 1n the county of Milwaulree and State ot Wisconsin, have invented new and useful improvements in Spank* llugs, of which the following is a specification.

March lo, 1915. My prior patent disclosesav cleaner mounted upon each electrode of the sparlr plug in a manner to move thereon so as to remove carbon and other. matter that may tend to deposit upon the electrode and interfere with the operation oli the spark plug.l from the terminals of the plug. In my present invention, these cleaners are formed Without Waste of material and are so constructed that, in the operation thereof,

short circuiting of the sparlr plug is avoided. Furthermore, in my present invention, I emlploy means for positively restoring the cleaning devices to normal position succeeding the sliding thereof under the action or the gases during the operation 01"' theY engine, thereby preventing sticking of the cleaners in the continued use of' the plug.

My invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parte here.- inafter set forth in and falling Within the scope of the claim.

ln the accompanying drawing; Figure i is a view in side elevation of a spark plug provided with cleaners Constructed in accordance v'ith the present invention. Fig. '2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. l. Fig. 8 is a similar view on the line Bv of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of one 'of the cleaners. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the same. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of a spark plug showing modified form of the invention. Fig. T is a similar view showing a further modied construction.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, l designates a spark plug of any suitable construction embodying a power electrode 2 and a ground electrode 3. ln the present instance, the terminals of the electrodes at the spark gap are bent into U-'orm as at f-l and the legs of these g.J-shaped terminals lie in parallelism with one another and are spaced v apart to form the spark gap. Slidably mounted within each U-shaped terminal is a cleaner 5 Comprising a block of suitable material substantially triangular in cross section and having the apex thereof tformed with 'a longitudinal groove 6' that receives one leg of the terminal, and the base thereof formed With a relatively Wide groove 7 that receivesthe other leg of the terminal. Also formed in the block at the apex thereof is a transverse' groove 8 intersecting the longitudinal. groove A6 and coperating therewith to divide the apex of the vblock into a plurality ofvscrapers that serve to scrape any carbon orother material from the adjacent y leg of the electrode. The groove 7 in the base of each block is relatively wide, as compared with the diameter or thickness of the adjacent leg of the electrode so that the block may swing laterally in its vertical sliding movement upon the electrode. The cleaners are mounted upon the electrodes so as to move freely -thereon both longitudinally and angular-ly, such movements being brought V about automatically by the vibration or jar to which the engine is subjected when operation. lt is to beunderstood that the cleaners may be moved automatically in any manner, advantage being taken of the force rendered by compression, explosion and the .inrush'of 'the gases, and such force may be supplementaryto the result from shock, jar Aor vibration. u A j In accordance with my present invention, I secure vto the inner end of the shell of the sparlr plug, a spring arm 9 disposed in the path of movement of the cleaner 5 on the ground electrode and this arm receives the impact of the cleaner in the movement thereof toward the inner end of the shell and is flexed or bent by-jsuch impact so that the same may react and-restore the cleaners to normal position, thereby preventing sticking of the cleaners in the continued use of the plug. The arm Salso acts to prevent short circuiting of the electrodes.

In the preferred form of the invention, 'I-

have shown the central members of the respective electrodes as inclined downwardly toward the axis of the plug, While in Fig. 6, the central members of the respective electrodes are shown as straight and in Fig. 7- as looped. lt is to be understood, however, that the 4central'members of the electrodes maybe shaped in any desired manner.

TvWhile I have herein shown and described certain preferred forms of my invention by Way of illustration, l Wish it tobe understood that l do not limit or confine myself to the precise details of construction herein described and delineated, as modification and variation may be made within the scope of tlle claim Without ,departing from the spirit of the invention.

claim:

A spark plug having a power electrode end ay ground electrode, the terminals of said electrodes being bentiilto U-forms, a metallic cleaner consisting of a triangular bo'dy formed upon its apex with u transverse groove adapted to lit around in slidable and sivivelable relation the bent terminal of each upon its base side With an arcuate surface Liesbet) adapted to Contact tbe/main stem of the single 20 .electrode,and a pair of stop flanges formed integrally upon the opposite edges of said triangular body-between the limits of which said body may move, said triangular body being also formed with a, transverse groove 25A in presence of two Witnesses.

Y OTTO RieKMnYns. Witnesses J. G. WAGNER,` GEO. JZEICHHoRs'r.

Copies o this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente,

Washngton. C. 

